SELLING THE SHASTA

Alas, the time has come to upgrade our "Little Apartment on Wheels," to something with a bathroom and shower. We are looking at an Airstream, and have our minds pretty much made up about that. With that plan in order, it's going to be extremely difficult to let the little thing go! We've had so many fantastic trips and memories in this Trailer!

Friends of ours had The Shasta in their back yard (lots of property at their place) for years, just sitting there collecting Desert dirt. The Grandparents were the original buyers, and this camper had been in their family since 1962! My Wife suggested that we take it off their hands, and I was adamently against this, being a life-long tent camper. It needed a LOT OF WORK, but we did most everything ourselves, and I'm not very mechanically inclined. But, we had some help from professionals- Upholstery, curtains,  powder coating, etc. It really came together after a solid year of work and expenses, and we kept improving things along the way, the 6 years we've owned it.

Here are a few photos that I wanted to share of our time with the 1962 Shasta Airflyte.

 First trip ever, Roosevelt Lake, Tonto Basin, AZ. No improvements to the camper yet, obviously.

 The Wife installed new tile flooring.

Then, re-finished the wood inside & got some new cushions.

Tarped & taped while vents & drip trays were being powder coated.

New curtains & upholstery.

The super-comfy, front bed.

New rear window, looking a tad better.

We were constantly making little improvements, such as the sink & stove top covers. (This is the sink, not the stove)!

New tanks & fittings, along with welded-on, permanent, scissor jacks underneath. (No more laying on the ground with scorpions & snakes, aligning stabilizer jacks with frame)!

In Sedona, AZ.

The Breakfast of Champions!

Shower tent/Poop station experiment. With the 1974 Glastron "Swinger" boat, Butcher Hook RV Park, Tonto Basin, AZ.

AC experiment, gone horribly wrong.

Sunset, Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Cottonwood, AZ.

Christmas Eve Celebration, Rancho Sedona RV Park. 12 degrees that night. OUCH!

Merry Christmas, with the little, pink, "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree!

Dead Horse Ranch State Park. Site #49.

 Another shot, with my ingenious HD antenna pole/Flag holder,  & Mingus Mountains in the background. Dead Horse Ranch State Park

And, probably our last trip... Homolovi Stae Park, Winslow, Arizona. October, 2014. Nice quiet place if you're ever out the way of I-40.

OK... Well, that oughta' about do it for me, and The Shasta! Have a great Christmas, and bitchin'-Ass New Year! We'll blog again soon, hopefully, with a new Little Apartment On Wheels.

Yours truly... The Phoenix Rover. 

 Crazy Blogging fool.

Dead Horse Ranch Forgotten Graveyard

Long time no time!

What's happening?  This is my first post of 2013. Wow, has the time flew by! Been working a lot more than usual, so the recreation has been slowed just a bit. Time to fix that now that Summer is here!

We made another trip up the hill to Dead Horse State Park, in Cottonwood, near Sedona, a few months ago. Even though we have stayed there many, many times, the place has so much to offer, and we always discover something new, fun, and different. This time was no exception. There's an old graveyard, hardly advertised in Park brochures, just off the road, inside the Park boundaries. Apparently, the hispanic folks weren't buried in the town cemetery, but rather laid to rest right there on the ranch where they worked. Turned out to be a historical adventure finding this spot, and extremely interesting to boot.

Unknown graveyard, Dead Horse Ranch State Park

A few weeks ago I drove to Carlsbad, California for my Nephew, Scotty McGarry's at the Army Navy Academy high school graduation. Before the ceremony, I had a chance to see two old buddies that I used to play in a band with... Steve Jerome Waddell, and Robert Munger. Steve now owns and runs a rock and roll themed hair salon in Oceanside called "Rock Your Loxx!" So glad I had a chance to stop by and visit, and finally see the place I had heard so much about. Good friends, good people, good times!

L to R: Robert, Steve, & yours truly... 

3/4 of the 90's cover band, MENACE!

We bought a new (to us) Glastron boat! Got a smokin' deal from nice, older couple who no longer used it. It sat in their garage for the last 3 years or so, always covered, and for a 1974 boat, it couldn't be in better condition! I had to drive 500+ miles from Scottsdale to Bullhead City, AZ (on the Colorado River, where Nevada, California, and Arizona meet). Took a little engine work to get it going, but now it purrs out on the lake & runs smoothly. Had the maiden voyage just this last week, out at Bartlett Lake, near Phoenix.

1974 Glastron, Bartlett Lake, Arizona

On land, in the Walmart parking lot, Scottsdale.

Sometimes, it's not always about the camping and boating. Last weekend, I took the Wife to Tucson to see Cyndi Lauper in Concert! Had a great time at the old Fox Theater, great show. Not exactly my kind of music, but it was a blast hearing all those 30 year old, 80's pop tunes! Brought back memories of MTV, when they actually played Music videos. She does have a tremendous, 4 octave range, and she put on a really cool show.

 On the way down, we stopped at the ruins at Casa Grande. There isn't too much to explore here, but the main attraction is truly an amazing structure. It is the first Native American "ruins" to be set aside as a National Monument. The same canopy structure is still in place from 1932!

And, meanwhile, back at the ranch, I bought a new guitar! It's a replica of the first Eddie Van Halen guitar he made and played off their debut album, back in 1978. Plays great, and sounds even better! Costed a pretty penny, but it's totally, 100% worth it. I'm a very happy camper! (Pun intended).

"Mr. Ed," the "Frankenstrat!" Coming to a Phoenix bar or club near you soon!

I had a chance to use it in action last week when I drove out to Tustin, California to jam with my band, DRIVIN' SIDEWAYS! The band consists of my high school buddies from Foothill High, and we've been playing together since 1979... 33 years now! We're a classic hard rock band, jamming on tunes from Aerosmith to Zeppelin, and lots of stuff in between.

We had record highs today here in Phoenix: 119 degrees!!!! Yup... Blistering hot! Could be a very long Summer this year, but luckily, we'll be playing with the old Shasta camper, and the new, little, 14 foot Glastron boat. 

Happy Fourth of July everyone, and hope to check back soon after the Holiday with some new adventures!

-Eric, The Phoenix Rover.

ARIZONA CENTENNIAL/VALENTINE'S DAY WEEKEND

Howdy Folks! Once again we made it up to Dead Horse Ranch State Park, near Sedona, with our 1962 Shasta Airflyte camper. Weather was great- Not too cold at night (40F), and not hot all all (68). We went for a few hikes, had some geat BBQ's meals, enjoyed a few movies inside the camper, visited Sedona, and actually spent some time in the small town of Cottonwood as well.

Last week, after a 30 year hiatus, the original (David Lee Roth) lineup of VAN HALEN released there first album in 30 years! (Yeah... This has nothing to do wit camping, I know). And, being a guitar player & having a man-crush on Eddie Van Halen, this is some pretty exciting news! Better yet, the album is way better than I ever expected it to be! It ROCKS! I won tickets for the June 16th show here in Phoenix (thanks XTRA Sports Radio, 910 on your AM dial), and can hardly wait to see them live!

VAN HALEN, 2012!

Also, not only is it Valentine's Day today, but it also marks the centennial of the State of Arizona, in which I reside. AZ joined the union kind of late, and originally, it was named "The Valentine State" because it entered the Union on this day in 1912. Someone had the foresight to rename it "The Grand Canyon State," and thank God they did, so we didn't sound so wimpy and mushy!

But anyway, it was a wonderful trip with no adversities... Just a relaxing weekend with campfires, BBQ's, clear blue skies, and an abundance of fresh air.

Here are some photos... Be sure and click on them to see their dynamic, full size.

The Carl's Jr. in Cottonwood

1962 Shasta, appropriately parked by the Antique Shop sign in Cottonwood.

Dead Horse Ranch campground, Red Tail Hawk Loop.

Dead Horse Ranch campground, Red Tail Hawk Loop, again

Wifey making coffee.

Getting ready for breakfast, inside the 1962 Shasta Airflyte Camper.

Electrical and dish station at site #56! (Exciting stuff)!

The Verde River.
What trip would be complete without a trip to the local Walmart! Hell, it's where everyone gathers and sees one another in a small town in America! This one is huge too, with all sorts of goodies and supplies.

Old West stuff, downtown Sedona.

More Old West stuff, downtown Sedona.

Sinagua Native American statue, in the Sinagua Plaza, Sedona.

Even an simple motel sign looks beautiful in Sedona!

Me, standing by a horse statue.

Red rocks of Sedona.

Another shot of Sedona, from an overlook on the backside of a cafe.

Pink pigs!